# Five a day: why variety in micronutrients beats any single dose

> The calories are there, the range is not - that is the supply situation in Switzerland. What micronutrients do in the immune system, and how WOO® Vital Plus tackles variety.

Five portions of fruit and vegetables a day - everyone knows the WHO recommendation, and a minority reaches it. The Swiss nutrition survey menuCH paints the same picture as most European data: plenty of energy, little variety.

## Where the gap actually opens

"Malnutrition" is the wrong word for Switzerland. The calories are there, the range is not. Surveys keep flagging the same nutrients: vitamin D in winter, folate in women of childbearing age, iron in menstruating women and female endurance athletes, iodine. Chatelan and colleagues also showed marked regional differences in dietary patterns within Switzerland. A gap is therefore not a blanket condition but an individual question.

## What micronutrients actually do in the immune system

The immune system is the most nutrient-hungry process in the body - cell division, antibody production and oxidative defence mechanisms all run on cofactors. Gombart, Pierre and Maggini summarised in 2020 how the individual stages interlock: vitamins A and C maintain barriers such as skin and mucous membranes, zinc steers the maturation and function of T cells, vitamin C actively accumulates in neutrophils, selenium is needed for the antioxidant enzymes of immune cells.

The regulatory position matches: **iron, selenium, vitamin B12, B6, C and zinc** contribute to the normal function of the immune system.

## Tiredness is the most underrated marker

Before an inadequate supply shows up as a symptom, it usually shows up as unspecific exhaustion. The claims here are precise: **iron, magnesium, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, vitamin B6, B12 and C** contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. With iron, a look at the lab is worthwhile: the storage marker ferritin falls long before haemoglobin reacts.

## Why variety counts for more than a high single dose

Aune and colleagues (2017) analysed cohorts with more than two million participants: risk reduction rises with the amount of fruit and vegetables - and flattens above roughly 800 g per day. Notably, this effect has so far not been reproducible with isolated single vitamins. The plausible explanation: it is the matrix - hundreds of plant compounds, fibres and micronutrients acting together.

## How WOO® Vital Plus approaches the topic

This is exactly where **[WOO® Vital Plus](/en/shop/woo-vital-plus-box)** starts: more than 30 plant extracts instead of a handful of isolates. Blood orange, mango, blackcurrant, apple, acerola, broccoli, spirulina, beetroot and grape seed OPC form the base, with resistant maltodextrin and inulin as fibre.

Per 20 g sachet: 180 mg vitamin C, 360 mg calcium, 144 mg magnesium, 9.9 mg iron, 3.6 mg zinc, 360 µg folic acid, 110 µg biotin, 36 µg selenium, 30 µg chromium plus B1, B2, B6, niacin, pantothenic acid and vitamin E. One sachet daily in 250 ml of water, 30 sachets per pack - deliberately not immediately before or after eating. Note: the product contains celery and lupins.

## Frequently asked questions

**Does this replace fruit and vegetables?**
No. A product containing OPC is no substitute for a diet with fresh fruit and vegetables - it closes gaps when everyday variety falls short.

**Why not take it with a meal?**
Because fibre, phytates and other meal components can inhibit the absorption of minerals such as iron and zinc. A time gap improves the starting position.

**How long until something changes?**
Stores fill slowly. With iron and vitamin D you count in months, not days. If you have a specific suspicion, measure before and after.

## Sources

Gombart AF, Pierre A & Maggini S (2020), Nutrients - A review of micronutrients and the immune system.
Aune D et al. (2017), International Journal of Epidemiology - Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality.
Chatelan A et al. (2017), Nutrients - Major differences in diet across three linguistic regions of Switzerland.
Hurrell R & Egli I (2010), American Journal of Clinical Nutrition - Iron bioavailability and dietary reference values.

*WOO® Vital Plus - in the NEMAPO shop.*